Dean's Little Girl
by justanothergeekygirl
Summary: A baby girl is left to Dean's care. Her father left her mother when she wasn't still a foetus and her mother was killed by hellhounds. A series for all the people out there who think Dean desperately needs a daughter.
1. Lonely No More

It is a dark and stormy night. A slender figure hides at the edge of the forest, observing the quiet motel across the road. She consults the address scrawled on her hand again to be certain that she has found the right place. A baby wails and she turns her attention to the little bundle in her arms. She hushes the baby and holds it closer to give it what little warmth she has to offer.

"It's going to be okay," she tells the baby. "You'll be safe soon."

She is being hunted down and she has to keep her baby daughter safe. She has asked around and she got herself a name and an address of a motel. Dean Winchester is well known in the dodgier areas of town and no one has uttered a word against the man. Although she is reluctant to put her child under the care of a strange man, a woman running a bar assured her that there is no safer place than in Winchester's heart.

She hears a howl in the distance and runs out of the forest and across the road. Her pursuers are advancing; she doesn't have much time left. She has to get her daughter to safety and quick. She reaches the door behind which Dean Winchester is. She tries to smile at her baby one last time but her tears mingle with the rain drops on the child's face. The baby opens her bright blue eyes and smiles at her mother. Overwhelmed with sorrow, she kisses the baby one last time before setting her down and knocking on the door.

Inside, Dean Winchester is poring over newspapers for sightings of his brother and Metatron. He has been going around hunting down Gadriel and Metatron because Gadriel is currently using Sam as a vessel and Sam is nowhere to be found. He is alone in the world with no one to talk to or help with his mission. Not even Kevin is around anymore to provide him with information. He hears the knock and puts his glass of whiskey down. He opens the door but sees no one, he frowns. It's not exactly weather for naughty boys to be playing pranks in. He hears the faint cooing at his feet and looks down to find a baby with bright blue eyes and a toothless smile. He picks up the baby and notice that the baby is soaking wet with a letter tucked in nicely in the folds of fabric.

He unfolds the paper as carefully as he can with the baby in his arm. It reads: "Mr Winchester, I'm sorry to have to place a burden on you without asking or even meeting you face to face. I have heard many things about you and I have decided to place my baby under your care. Please raise her as your own for her father ran away when he found out I was pregnant and I may be dead. Her name is Mary. She was born 6th November 2013. She has no birth certificate yet and I must trouble you to do what is necessary to get that done. She might be young, but she is off mother's milk and any store bought milk powder would suffice. I must ask you to give her your last name for I fear for her safety if anybody knows of her ancestry. I trust you with my baby girl and I hope that she will find a nice home to grow up in. I am ever so sorry for giving you this unwanted responsibility but I have no other choice. Tell her that her mother loves her and is watching her from heaven."

No sooner has he finished reading the letter does he hear a sharp shriek tear through the rain and thunder. Some howling follows the scream and then nothing but the pouring rain. He knows what is hunting down the woman and he only wonders for a second what deal did she make with a demon. He only gets that second because a loud thunder clap came and scared the baby into crying. Dean shuts the door behind him and calms the baby down.

She keeps crying no matter what he does. He remembers that her wraps are wet and she must be cold. He strips the layers off of her and makes a hot bath for her in the bathroom sink. She doesn't seem to like the bath and Dean is soaking wet by the time he cleans the baby up. Even when she is warmed up in the bath, she doesn't stop crying and flailing her arms. Dean frantically dries her up and wraps her in the softest towel in his possession. Her diapers are soaked and useless so Dean improvises with an old shirt.

Once she is warmly wrapped up, Mary coos contentedly before drifting off to sleep in Dean's arms. Dean places her gently on his bed and watches her sleep with a smile on her lips. The poor child, he thinks, she has no idea that the screaming outside is the dying sounds of her mother and that she, like him, is alone in the world. She will never know what her mother looked like, much like Sam. Taking pity on her, Dean decides to raise the baby girl.

"Mary Winchester," Dean says aloud. He chuckles because the baby has his mother's name. "I didn't think I'd ever have the chance to take care of one ever again."

**Okay, I'm gonna have to warn you right here and now. The next chapter is the most fluffiest thing I have ever written. It may be a bit short but it's really fluffy. I just needed to warn you before you proceed. But thanks for reading and I hope you'll like the next one.**


	2. First Words

**I don't know if it's convenient for you to read the title but it's called "First Words". I have said before in the last chapter's foot note that this would be really fluffy. Not recommended for people suffering from Domestic-Dean-is-too-cute-itis. I hope you'll like though. **

It has been almost ten months since Dean found Mary on his doorstep and she has grown into a very bubbly one year old. He managed to take care of her while going around on his hunting jobs and looking for Sam. They've found Sam a few months back. He was surprised to find Dean dragging a baby along with him everywhere he goes.

"What's his name?" Sam had asked when he first saw Mary. He saw how attached Dean had already become with the baby and had no intentions of taking her away from him.

"Mary," Dean had answered simply and without expression. "And he's a she."

"Mary?" Sam asked. "Did you name her?"

Dean shook his head, saying, "Nope, it was written in the letter her mother left with her. Her mom was taken by hellhounds. I didn't even get to see her."

The two of them shared a knowing look and never mentioned it again. They took care of Mary as if she were their own blood and flesh. They took turns to change her diapers and to feed her and keep her happy when she starts crying. Dean took extra responsibility of her and Mary, too, became more attached to Dean. Back in the present time, Sam had gone out for a supply run and Dean is left to make sure Mary finishes her dinner.

"Mary, please eat your dinner," Dean says as he scoops another spoonful of mashed up substance and holds it to her mouth. "Just one more scoop, okay?"

Mary screws up her face and pulls away from her food. She is covered in the off white mash and the parts that have dried up stick to her clothes. Dean gives up feeding her and picks her up to get her cleaned up. Mary squeaks out her happy baby sounds as Dean rocks her to keep her from crying. She mumbles some unintelligible words as she is learning how to speak.

"Papa," Mary shouts out suddenly.

Dean stops short and stares at the baby, who smiles up at him with her few newly grown teeth. "What did you say?"

"Papa!" Mary repeats. She laughs her little baby laugh and reaches for Dean with her pudgy hands opening and closing. "Papa!"

Dean smiles against his will. He hasn't smiled like that for God knows how long. "Papa? I guess I am your papa, aren't I? And you're my little girl," he says, tickling Mary's round tummy, inducing more squeaky bursts of laughter from her.

Dean has gotten her changed and cleaned up before placing her in her cot so he can clean the table up. Mary coos in her cot as she bounces her teddy bear around. Dean blinks back the happy tear hanging at the edge of his eyelids. He never thought that he would be this happy to be raising a child. He can still remember a time when he found babies loud and messy and utterly annoying.

It touched him, even though he knows the baby doesn't know any better, that she would regard him a father figure. She puts all her faith and trust in him. And all this is expressed through a two syllable word she barely understands herself.

Sam comes back and Dean excitedly tells him about Mary's new trick. Sam humours him and sets the supplies down as Dean goes to get Mary out of her cot. He mutters a few words to her and Mary gurgles happily.

"Papa," Mary says and even Sam in impressed. "Papa," she says again, hugging Dean's shoulder as tight as she can.

Sam catches the way his brother's eyes crinkle up with happiness. Even though Dean tries not to show how happy he is, there is still a faint ghost of a smile there on his face. Sam laughs and tries to hold Mary but she doesn't want to be held by Sam and Sam takes no offense.

"Papa," Mary echoes, shaking her head when Sam moved to take her from Dean.

It has been confirmed. Dean is now officially her "Papa".

"So I guess it's Uncle Sam now," Sam concludes.

Neither man says anything else as they were too happy. Only Mary speaks, muttering "Papa" softly on Dean's shoulder.


	3. Baby Steps

**I have gotten so many wonderful feedbacks for this and I'm really grateful for it. It is nice to know that many enjoy reading this as much as I enjoy writing it. I apologise first for the length (or lack thereof) of this chapter. I admit that even though I have a 2 year old cousin to base Mary's growth on, I'm not too clear on the sequence and time of which a baby learns to talk or walk or anything for that matter. So I apologise if the timeline is also a little bit messed up, but this is after all, just nothing more than a collection of one shots, the timeline might be all over the place. Also I planned to upload this a couple of days ago but the site just wouldn't let me. It's titled "First Steps"**

"Sam? Sam!" Dean calls.

Sam dashes out of the bathroom in nothing but a towel around his waist. He habitually braces himself for danger or an attack but is given the false alarm when he sees Dean playing with Mary happily. Mary has grown almost twice her size since Dean took her in. Her hair is now thick and fluffy, looking like a golden puff of cloud that sits on her head. Her eyes are still the same bright blue, like twin ice pools staring at you alert and calculating. Due to Sam and Dean's loving care, Mary has rosy cheeks like ripe apples and skin fair as winter snow.

Now, Sam watches as Dean sits on the motel room floor praising Mary for something she had done. He raises his eyebrows as Dean slowly props Mary up in a standing position. Mary had just learned how to stand a short while back and she has yet to be very stable. So Sam is surprised when Dean whispers in that special voice reserved for her to go towards him.

"Go on," Dean says. "Go to Uncle Sam."

Mary's expression is blank for a few seconds as if she is trying to understand what Dean had told her to do. When it hits her, she breaks into a smile and takes a wobbly step towards Sam. Sam couldn't help but gasp in awe as Mary carries on step by step, walking closer and closer to him. He bends down to receive her and she laughs when he picks her up and tosses her into the air.

"Good girl," Sam tells her. "You learn very quickly, don't you?"

After giving her a kiss on the cheek, Sam puts Mary back down on the floor. She lands on all fours before sitting up and clapping and cheering for herself. Sam and Dean have been joking that she would grow up to be rather self-praising, the rate she's going. They both laugh and cheer with her, which sends her to giggly bursts of laughter again.

"Okay," Sam laughs as they watch her gurgle and blow raspberries as she plays with her teddy bear. "I really have to go shower now, so if you could let me have 15 minutes?"

Dean nods sheepishly, "Okay."

Sam rolls his eyes before heading into the bathroom again. He feels happy for Dean and all with Mary around, and he too loves her as much as Dean does, but Dean tends to yell for him at the littlest of things. His 15 minutes in the shower is the only rest he gets, going between hunting and taking care of Mary. All too soon, his 15 minutes are up and he sighs before getting dressed and opening to bathroom door.

He finds Dean preoccupied with Mary as always. Mary is stepping on Dean's feet and her chubby fingers are wrapped around his thumbs as he walks around the room with her. Dean's gentle voice and Mary's bursts of laughter brings a smile to Sam's face. Raising a baby might not be an easy task, but it sure has it's moments.

**Okay, so I'm beginning to see that this chapter has more word counts in the author's note than the passage itself. But I really need you help (yes you) If you have anything that you would like me to write about involving Mary and Dean, please do not hesitate to tell me because I'm running out of ideas for Mary during her toddler years. If you have any ideas for when she's older, I also will accept them and consider them and will write the ones I like whenever I see fit. I will put credits in for you if I do use your suggestions and prompts because I am ever so grateful for any that you can send me. :) JC.**


	4. Little Mary

**This chapter is taking us a little back in time. It is entitled "Little Mary" and she's only a week or so since Dean got her. Enjoy!**

It's been a sleepless week for Dean as he struggles with taking care of the baby. As she is still young, she wakes up every two to four hours and cries her lungs out for milk. Dean has had past experiences with babies but not girls and not this young. He got the standard needs for her like milk powder, diapers, car seats and clothes but keeping the baby happy is a far cry from keeping her alive.

It is a particularly stormy night and baby Mary refuses to give her tiny lungs a rest and go to sleep. Dean tries to calm her down by rocking her in his arms. She cools off slightly only to scream even louder than the last round as flashes of lightning and claps of thunder shake the thin walls of the motel room.

"Come on," Dean groans as Mary wails away in her cot again. "Please sleep. Doesn't that little voice box of yours get tired?" He bends over and picks her up for the fiftieth time that night. "Alright, what can I do for you this time?"

Mary, obviously, can only answer him with even louder screams. Dean heaves a heavy sigh and racks his brain for ways to calm down a frantic baby. He thinks of what his mother would do. He looks hopelessly at Mary Winchester the second and something clicks.

"You know," Dean tells the still wailing kid. "My mom has the same name as you do. And she was a fine lady." Mary calms down a bit and Dean gets encouraged by it and continues his story. "I don't really remember much about her from when I was young. She died in a fire when I was four and me and Sammy never saw the suburban life again. I have met her, though. I was brought back in time by an angel a couple of times. She was beautiful, strong, and smart. Just like you're gonna be some day."

By then, Mary has stopped crying completely and the rain has also eased up a lot. Dean goes on, "There aren't many things I can remember about my life with mom, but there are some things. Like how she used to make me tomato rice soup when I get sick because her mother made it for her when she was young. I would make you tomato rice soup if I knew how to. And if I had a kitchen to make it in. When I couldn't sleep at night, she'd sing me Hey Jude by the Beatles because that was her favourite song."

Dean smiles at her and wonders, "If there's something I could do for you, it's sing. I'm not very good but here goes nothing." Mary says nothing and he takes a deep breath before singing softly. "Hey Jude, don't make it bad…"

Mary coos and smiles her toothless smile at him. Deep inside her little heart, she likes Dean's singing even if others would say that he'd bring the rain back round. She finds happiness in those green eyes of the strange man. Science says that humans don't develop conscious thoughts until the age of four but Mary knows, somehow, that her mother is gone and her life depends on this man. And she has no qualms about it.

"… Nanana nana nana nana nana… Hey Jude," Dean finishes. He smiles at the baby who has fallen asleep. "Maybe all Marys are alike," Dean ponders as he sets her gently into her cot.

**I'm open for any suggestions of anything you want Mary and Dean to do. Just leave a review or PM me something :)**


	5. A Day Out

**Hello! How're you doing? Today's little passage is the Winchesters' little treat for Mary for her birthday. Hope you like it!**

It's the 6th of November, Mary's second birthday and Dean wants to do something nice for her. For the past year, Mary has gotten used to being stuck in the motel, stuck in the car or stuck in the library with them. She's growing into a restless toddler and being stuck in places is starting to bore her immensely. When she's bored, Dean or Sam would have to suffer her climbing up and down and pulling things off the shelves.

"Maybe we can have an afternoon off," Sam suggests over lunch. "It's her birthday, after all. Let's give her a treat for today."

Dean agrees and they decide to take her to the park . Mary's still young and it wouldn't take much to excite her. When Dean parked the car and walked her to the playground she immediately burst out in excited laughter and starts running around as far as Dean would let her go. After being cooped up, the patch of open air is refreshing for not only the child but the two grown men as well.

The littlest of things grabs her attention and she darts around to study new things. She squats down near a flower and touches it as it bobs up and down in the wind. A bee flies past and she follows it to another flower. She laughs and stares in awe as the bee does its business. Dean watches her with a smile as Sam goes to get them a drink.

Dean walks over to Mary and says, "Come one let's play on the swings."

He picks her up and plops her into the baby swing seat much to her delight. Gently, he pushes the swings forwards and Mary squeals as it goes back downwards and backwards. He pushes it again and back and forth they go, Mary gurgling away happily with each swing. Sam comes back with their drinks and Mary goes "Whee!" in a way that one can't help but laugh at. He mimics her and pulls a funny face and she laughs.

Mary gets bored of the swings and Dean puts her on the slides then the see saw then the slides again. She likes the slide because all she has to do is fall and let Dean catch her before she hits the ground. She likes the feeling of being far away from him and coming back into his big hug. She squeals in delight as she swoops down and insists on going down again and again.

"Again!" Mary orders.

"Again? You've been on it a hundred times already," Dean asks with a smile.

"Again!" Mary repeats. "Papa, again!"

Dean gives in and sighs, "Okay, but this is the last time. After this we're going to get some grub and then hit the hay, got it?"

Mary doesn't answer him of course, at this age, a sentence more than three words long is just the adult talking to himself. She claps her hands excitedly when Sam places her on top of the slide again, holding her in place until Dean is ready and poised to catch her. Sam lets go and she whooshes down into Dean's arms once again.

"Alright," Dean says as he sets her down on the ground on her own two feet. "Let's go."

They make it halfway to the car when Mary stops walking and starts whining. Dean, who is holding her hand, looks down and she reaches up to him with both hands, indicating that she wanted to be carried. After the full afternoon of play, Mary is worn out and tired. Dean plucks her off the ground almost effortlessly and carries her on one arm, supporting her back with the other. It isn't a long walk to the car but Mary falls asleep on Dean's shoulder on the way.

"Do you want me to drive?" Sam offers. "The poor girl's asleep."

"Is she now?" Dean chuckles softly as to not wake her up. "Okay, you drive," he says and fishes his keys out. "I guess we're skipping dinner tonight, aren't we?" Dean whispers to Mary's sleeping figure.

"I'll drop you guys off at the motel then go out and get us some food," Sam decides. "Mary might not be hungry but I sure am."

Later that evening when Sam returns with food, he finds both adult and baby asleep on Dean's bed. Sam chuckles to himself as Dean snores lightly with Mary sprawled on her stomach beside him. It seems like Mary isn't the only one who is tired out for the day.

**Please voice out some suggestions for anything the Winchesters can do with baby Mary. Also please help by telling me what a toddler normally does because I don't have children of my own and much less any experience with anyone below the age of five. Thanks! JC**


	6. Winter Wonderland

**Hello, how are you doing? First of all, I have to thank so many of you for giving me tips and suggestions for Mary's adventures in the world. I find them all very helpful and very encouraging. This story is titled "Winter Wonderland" and is suggested by TatteredAngel. I hope you like it! I hope I managed to capture the wonders of fresh snow in this because I myself have never experienced snow in my life. I just have my tropical rain and sunshine hehe. :)**

"Off to Maine, then," Dean announces, folding up the newspaper he was reading and slapping it on the table. He'd just read about something spooky going on in Maine and both he and Sam agree that it's worth checking out.

They leave the next morning and Dean packs up his and Mary's things as Sam prepares Mary for the long, long drive ahead. They are quite far down south right now and Maine is pretty much the most northern part of the America. It's going to be cold and Dean double checks to make sure that Mary has sufficient winter wear for the early December weather.

"Dean, are you done?" Sam asks impatiently, waiting by the door with Mary perched on his right hip.

"Yeah, okay," Dean replies before shouldering the bags and walking past Sam and out the door.

On the road, Mary sits between them, moving from one end to another, trying to touch everything in the car. Dean is resorted to driving with one hand while holding Mary off with the other as she keeps insisting on sitting on his lap and turning the steering wheel. After half an hour of nearly getting pulled over by the cops, Sam sits her firmly on his lap and distracts her from Dean for the two hour drive to the next stop. Usually, the pair of them would've driven from the west end of the US to the east end without stopping but with Mary, things have to go a little bit slower.

Sam holds her against his stomach with just one wide hand whilst using the other to bounce her teddy bear in front of her. Mary stretches out her pudgy arms to grab Teddy and Sam gently playfully yanks it out of her grasp when she gets hold. The game lasts for fifteen minutes, a new record, before Mary catches sight of wild horses grazing on the fields outside. She stares with her mouth open and nose pressed to the window glass.

"Ooohhh," Mary mumbles in awe.

"That's a horse, Mary," Sam points out. "Look, horse!"

"Say horse, Mary," Dean encourages the two year old.

"Huh-huh," Mary struggles to imitate their words. "Huss," she manages, which makes Sam and Dean chuckle.

"Horse, honey," Dean corrects. "But don't worry. You'll get it in time."

"Huss…" Mary repeats, pointing at the animals munching away on what's left of the grass.

They reach Maine in a couple of days and the temperature has been decreasing as they venture further up north. Now, Mary is wrapped up snugly in several layers of sweaters and a tiny pink windbreaker. They check into a motel and Dean gets down to starting the heater and preparing Mary for bed. The last stretch had been extra tiring for all three of them and the night has already settled in when they arrived.

She's been cranky for the some time now and both men breathe a sigh of relief when she falls asleep on the bed she and Dean would be sharing. She took naps in the car, but when she wakes up, she cries and yells at the littlest things. Now they are free to do their work and find out about the spooky happenings. Dean offers to go and get food and coffee upon his return from the scene.

The Winchesters work all night searching everywhere they can for the "ghost of Christmas Past", as Dean calls it. They barely realised that the night has turned to day until Mary sits up from her slumber and calls out for Papa. Dean dutifully puts aside the local newspaper he was reading to get Mary dressed and cleaned up. Changing diapers and brushing someone else's teeth have become almost second nature to him already and he's even starting to get the hang of tying Mary's golden curls into pigtails on both sides of her neck although he says plaits are still going to be a big hurdle.

"We should go out for breakfast," Sam says. He opens the door to find the outdoors covered in a white blanket. "Hey, it's snowing," he points out, watching the white flakes drift down from the sky.

Mary sees the snow and her sapphire eyes widen and she stands there stunned while Dean puts a woollen hat on her head. Dean laughs at her surprised expression and brings her to the doorway. Scared of the alien white substance blanketing the world, Mary resists walking out the door. She shakes her head and cries when Dean tries to pick her up and walk out.

Sighing, Dean sets her down and tries to think of a way to get Mary out of the room. A light bulb goes off in his head. He gives Mary to Sam and he says, "Hold on." He puts on some gloves and sweeps a chunk of snow off the Impala and into his palm. He brings it indoors and holds in out for Mary to inspect.

"Oooh," Mary exclaims in a tone not unlike the one she used when she saw the horses.

"Go on, touch it," Dean coaxes. "It won't hurt you. It's just snow."

Mary cautiously reaches out a bare hand. She sticks her index finger into the mound on Dean's palm, pulling it out and laughing because it's cold. Sam and Dean laugh along with her.

"See? It's nothing," Dean explains to her. "So do you want to go outside and see it?"

Mary doesn't answer but she doesn't fight when Dean takes her hand and walks her out of the motel room and onto what used to be the black tar road. Snow lands lightly on their clothes and whatever exposed skin. Mary stands in awe of the whole thing, touching the snow on the ground and mock shivering when she comes in contact with the white dust. She bursts out in excited baby sounds as she gets less and less intimidated by the winter weather. She stops jumping around when a snowflake lands on her nose. The men laugh as she goes almost cross eyed to look at the intricate design on the snowflake in front of her. She giggles when it melts and runs around trying to catch the strange little white flowers.

Her party is stopped when she starts sneezing due to staying to long out in the cold. Dean scoops her up and out of the snow. She makes a sad noise and Dean assures her, "It'll be here when you get back. We really have to go for breakfast now, I'm hungry." She sits quietly in the car, staring at the world in all its white wonder, probably asking herself what all this is and where do they come from.

**As usual, suggestions are welcome and please leave a review telling me what you think of Daddy!Dean. **


	7. Sick Days

**Hello! Okay, this is yet another thing suggested by TatteredAngel. It's a continuation of the last story, and it's entitled "Sick Days". Although it is only one sick day but yeah okay. I hope you like it. **

That week in Maine has taken its toll on Mary. She had fun with all the snow but all fun must come to an end and a disastrous end it is for her. Having played in the snow whenever she could, Mary has come down with a cold and very high fever. Luckily for Mary, the Winchesters are safely away from the colder parts of America by the time they realised something is wrong with her.

It started with her being less than her usual active self as she began to tire more throughout the day and cranky even after slept for several hours. They decided to settle in at Kansas, Sam and Dean's hometown, and visit a local clinic there. Since the night before, Mary's temperature reached alarming heights.

"Hmm," the doctor grunts as he goes through the examination process. "Oh, dear me," he mutters when he checks her temperature and throat.

"What is it, Doc?" Dean asks, holding Mary on his lap as the doctor did his examination. "Is it bad?"

The doctor smiles, "It's not too bad, don't worry. She's just come down with a common cold, although the symptoms are a bit severe. She's got high fever, a blocked nose and a very bad sore throat. What she needs is to rest and not go anywhere until she is fully recovered. I'll write the prescriptions down for you, make sure that she gets her medicine on time."

"Thanks, Doc," Dean says.

He gets the medicine and brings Mary back to the motel where Sam would be taking a nap since he drove the whole night in their desperation to get to the nearest place with a clinic and Dean was taking care of Mary. They are currently in Lawrence, the place where both Sam and Dean were born. Unfortunately, they don't have many memories of the place because their Dad has been dragging them across the country since their mother's death. Even then, Dean gets a sense of home on this land.

"Alright," Dean tells Mary, "you'll be taking your medicine and going straight to bed, young lady."

Mary doesn't make a fuss as she has tired off her unease and is feeling very sleepy. Dean carefully pours out different types of thick liquid into the small measuring cups given. There are four types of medicine for her to take altogether and for the afternoon, she only needs two of them. Dean brings the medicine to Mary who is sitting on the bed watching TV with Sam who has woken up when they returned.

"C'mere," Dean mutters, tipping one medicine into Mary's lips.

Mary's face screws up as the unpleasant taste of the medicine coats her tongue and sticks to her throat. She refuses the second one and Dean tries to get it down her throat. She screams and tosses her arms about each time Dean advances with the medicine. He tries telling her that it'll taste better than the last, but even babies are not that gullible.

"Sammy, help," Dean begs.

Sam gets up and suggests, "Maybe you mix it in with her milk, she wouldn't taste it but it'll go down anyway. I read online that a lot of people do that for their children."

Dean follows Sam's advice and pours the medicine into Mary's warm milk bottle before offering it to her. "There," Dean says, "No meds, just your milk and then you can sleep. Okay?"

Mary grabs the milk bottle and sucks on its tip, finally relaxing and probably feeling a lot better with some warm stuff in her stomach. She doesn't finish her milk before dozing off. Seeing her so peacefully sleeping, Dean feels the strange warm feeling in his heart most people call paternal love. He tucks her in under the blankets and sheets to keep her warm, kissing her on her too-hot forehead. He frowns at the notion. He doesn't like the fact that Mary is so sick. It worries him much more than he had expected. Remembering some old advice, he dampens a cloth with cold water and places it on her tiny forehead, hoping to ease off the fever.

"Rest, honey," Dean whispers. "It'll get better soon."

**I realise that I've been under utilising Sam and probably sometimes it feels like he's not even there. Sorry, Sam. I would try to maybe write one story of Sam and Mary bonding because right now, Dean seems to be hogging Mary for himself. Then again, they share a closer bond and Dean's paternal instincts are much stronger than Sam's and also he's a bit more protective over her because he feels like he's been given a second chance to look after a Mary Winchester and so he will. I think Sam is a great uncle, I should include him more, I think. Anyway, rant's over. I hope you liked this :)**


	8. Shopping Adventure

**Hello again. I think I'm posting too many in one go but I can't help it. I'm always writing two or three stories because one is never enough. This story is a combined result of a couple suggestions. Hylia'grace suggested some bonding between Sam and Mary, and Dimac. 31 suggested that they take Mary shopping. I only take bits and pieces of whatever have been suggested that I can work with but I hope you'll like it anyways. So thanks for all your suggestion and help and positive reviews.**

"Now, Mary, we're going to be going grocery shopping and I need you to behave your very best, okay?" Dean says, holding Mary up to catch her eye. Already she has an impish glint in her bright blue eyes that confirms that Dean's begging will all be for naught. "Could you do that for me?"

"Okay, Papa," Mary giggles. "Put me down, Papa."

"Right, I will put you down," Dean tells the almost three year old. "But don't walk off too far, you hear me?"

"Yes, Papa," Mary says obediently.

Dean sets her down on the welcome mat of the grocer's and watches her walk off to look at the row of flowers on display. He sighs, Mary is becoming really, really active and is running everywhere and tipping over everything. She's learnt to talk, although in a lisp and not very big words. She's also very smart, taking in everything that goes on around her, her piercing blue eyes seeing through everyone.

"She's getting to be quite the handful now," Sam comments as they follow Mary up and down the aisles.

Dean scoffs, "Tell me about it. Let's just hope she doesn't mess up the shop too much."

"She's growing up," Sam replies. "We'll have to send her to school in a couple years."

"Huh," Dean huffs. "So soon?"

"Yeah, but don't worry. It's only going to happen when she's twice her age," Sam chuckles.

Sam is put in charge of keeping check on Mary and making sure she doesn't venture too far from them while Dean focuses on getting the shopping done. Pushing the trolley around, Dean piles in mostly baby supplies for Mary and unhealthy snacks for him and Sam. Sam lumbers around, trailing Mary on her little adventure as she goes from shelf to shelf looking at packets and boxes. She can read some labels, thanks to Sam and Dean encouraging her to read things.

"Uncle Sam, what's up there?" Mary asks.

"What? Up here? Same as what you have down there, Mary," Sam replies.

"I want to see," Mary whines.

"Fine…" Sam bends to pick her up.

Mary giggles, "You're so tall."

Sam chuckles, "Yeah I am. Are you happy with what you're looking at? It's all the same on this shelf. It's all diapers."

When Mary is pleased with her bird's eye view, Sam puts her down again. They walk to the next aisle with Dean to get the foodstuff. The trolley is already half full with the bulky packets of diapers and milk powder. Dean finds his favourite snack and places it in the trolley. Sam rolls his eyes at Dean's unhealthy packet of chips before selecting some organic thing and getting Dean's eye roll in return.

"Mary, do you want anything here?" Dean asks. "There are cookies and everything. Just pick out something you like."

Sam props her up on his waist so she can get a look at all the products on the rack. Dean already tosses in a box of individually wrapped cereals for Mary to eat during their longer drives. Mary grabs item after item from the shelf in front of her, studying the bright colours and bold letterings. Sam patiently reads the word she points at.

"Do you want that box of chocolate chip cookies? No? Okay, how 'bout this one?" Sam entertains her. "That's a good choice, they taste really good."

Mary finally makes her choice and throws in the blue box of cookies into the trolley. Dean has got everything they need and they go to the counters to pay for their goods. While Dean does the boring job of waiting in line, Sam takes Mary to see the puppies in the window of the pet shop next door. She laughs when one puppy trips over its own paw and does a full somersault. Sam catches sight of Dean walking out of the store, looking for them and he waves to get Dean's attention.

"Alright, your Daddy's here," Sam says. "It's time to go." He lets Mary sit on his shoulders and she laughs at the view.

"I can see the entire world, Uncle," Mary says. "There are so many people in the world. And cars." She giggles, "Papa looks so small."

Sam chuckles and Mary rambles on about her wonderful view. Dean hears her say how he looks short and laughs. He cranes his neck to look up at Mary, who is enjoying her first glimpse of power.

"I'm not short, Mary," Dean chides. "Your uncle Sam is just a gigantic moose. Now what are you doing all the way up there? Come back down here now," he jokes.

Mary refuses, wanting to be as near to the sky as she can. Dean doesn't say anything and lets Sam mind Mary for a while. He smiles a secret smile, listening to Mary's constant updates on what she can see on Sam's shoulders. Sometimes, Mary sees something and Dean doesn't and Sam pokes fun at him for being short and Mary would laugh.

"Aren't you guys hungry? I'm starving," Dean says. "How about we go get some pasta for lunch? Would you like pasta, honey?"

"Mmm, pasta," Mary replies. "I want pasta."

"Okay then, pasta it is."

**Speaking of reviews, I have received a guest review telling me that I spelt 'foetus' wrong and that it should be 'fetus'. I'd just like to say that I've been raised on the British way of spelling things as they were the ones to bring the language into my home country and we've been taught to spell it as 'foetus'. So I just want to make it clear for everyone. Also, please make sure you are certain that you are right and that the opposite side is 100% wrong before calling anybody dumbass. It's not a nice word and neither is it going to benefit anybody. (Honestly, this is quite hypocritical. I swear a lot too) But I hope I've made myself clear that I appreciate your corrections but not your condescending manner of speaking. Cheers :) JC**


	9. School Dilemmas

**Hello, have you heard the Sherlock's over? Sigh... Well at least there's Supernatural and CSI coming back this week. So yeah, here's a little something where Dean decides whether or not to send Mary to school. 'Cause as you know, school was hard for the Winchesters and Dean doesn't want that for his little girl. Bless his soul. **

Dean sits in the car while Sam takes Mary to the toilet in a random petrol station in the middle of nowhere. He is lost in thought and doesn't even register the heat that is seeping in as he forgets to wind down the window for air. Nothing else seems to matter now except the question running through his head.

Mary's grown up to be a healthy and bubbly toddler now. She's turning five and should be going to school as soon as summer is over. Dean is aware of the law that all children must go to school but he has a big problem at hand. Does he want to send her for school or not?

He remembers all the times he and Sam had switched schools. They were always the new kids, never really getting a chance to fit in. He doesn't want that for Mary but he doesn't want to strip away her chance at meeting friends and getting a glimpse of the real and somewhat normal world. Sticking to him and Sam would be too much of a sheltered life for her. And some friends of the same age would be nice for her.

Still lost in thought, Dean doesn't hear Sam and Mary return from their rest room break. He doesn't hear their exclamations of heat as they come in. He doesn't respond to anything until Sam calls his name several times, waking him from his stupor.

"Dean, wake up," Sam says, waving a hand in front of his face.

Dean jerks up and turns to him, "Yeah, what?"

"Would you mind turning on the air-con? I don't want to be cooked inside here," Sam replies.

"Oh okay," Dean answers and turns on the engines and air-con.

They drive in silence until Sam decides to ask Dean what's bugging him. Mary's fallen asleep as she tends to do on long drives and is curled up between Dean and Sam.

"It's nothing," Dean dismisses. "It's just that we have to figure out stuff about school?"

"School?" Sam asks and Dean gives him a look. "Oh, of course," Sam says. "Just find one and sign her up, I guess."

"But we'll be moving around and I don't want her to live life like we did. If I could stay in one spot and raise her up like a normal kid, I would but we need to do our jobs and the longest we stay anywhere is a couple of weeks or a month at most. Or we could just home school her but I don't think either of us are qualified to teach anybody anything besides self defense and guns."

"Hey, I was a pre-law student," Sam defends.

"That was years ago, Sammy," Dean retorts.

"Why don't we just ask her? She's smart, she can make up her mind," Sam suggests.

Dean nods wordlessly, watching Mary in her peaceful, innocent slumber before turning his eyes back onto the road.

At the end of the day, they rest in yet another motel room with stale smells all around. Mary is sitting quietly in her pajamas, watching TV and waiting for Dean or Sam to tell her to sleep. The TV is currently showing a little girl going to school and thoroughly enjoying. Dean has had a first-hand experience with all things Supernatural and even God and his angels but sometimes, he wonders if signs are still put there for reasons. Seeing no way out of this, he looks to Sam for one more assurance before sitting next to Mary on the bed.

"Mary," Dean starts, stroking a lock of golden curls flowing from her head.

She turns to him and meets his apple green gaze with her sapphire blue ones. "Yes, Daddy?"

"Well, you're a big girl now and Uncle Sam and I thought that it might be time to send you to school," Dean explains. Mary listens intently to her father and doesn't say anything. Dean continues, "But we also have to work, and our work takes us to different places very often so you'll be changing schools all the time. That means leaving all your friends and going away. Do you think you can do that? Or do you want to stay at home and Uncle Sammy and I can teach you ourselves?"

Mary shakes her head, "I want to go to school. School is fun, everybody goes to school."

"You don't mind leaving all your friends when we have to go?" Dean asks her.

Again, she shakes her head, "Then I can make new friends!" She gives him a toothy smile and he can't help but smile back.

"Ok, it's your choice," Dean says. "But I'll miss you so much when you go to school. I don't know what I'll do without my baby girl all day," he pouts playfully, tickling her stomach like how she likes it.

"Stop it, Daddy," she squeals and he lets her go. "Don't worry, Daddy, I'll be back before you know it," she promises. "I'll play with you after I come back from school."

Dean smiles, feeling that swollen feeling of love in his chest at his daughter's words. "If you say so," he shrugs. "C'mere and give Daddy a hug." And Mary leans into his open arms and Dean wraps his strong arms around her tiny body, savouring the smallness and vulnerability of it. His heart aches with the need to protect her and love her no matter the circumstances. No amount of words could describe the feeling, not even Sam would understand how he feels. It is something maybe only fathers will ever have the privilege of feeling, and Dean is ever grateful to have a chance to be one.

**I hope you liked it! This chapter has been suggested by what-evers-good. I am at a loss for words and I'll just leave you to your own business.**


	10. The Past Will Always Catch Up

**Hello, so it's been decided that Mary will go to school and so she does. This is a little thing that happened one day when she got invited to her first ever birthday party. It's a little less Mary and a little more Dean in the chapter because if anybody has read my works before would notice that I have some trouble handling more than two characters in one scene. God knows how I became a scriptwriter.**

Dean finishes dressing Mary up for her party. She is dressed in a little lilac dress that Sam had given her for her last birthday. It is a rare piece of vanity the Winchesters could afford to give her and it is the only dress she owns. With their lifestyle, even a toddler has to be dressed in practical clothes like shirts and jeans. She has a skirt or two that Dean bought for her in department stores but not much else. No pink fluffy tutus, no fairy wings.

Dean has finally perfected the art of braiding hair and expertly ties two small plaits from her hairline to the centre of the back of her head, leaving the rest of her long, blond curls free to dance in the spring breeze. This is Mary's first birthday party and she's excited to play with her new friends from preschool without a teacher watching over them.

They arrive at the house, already decked out in colourful balloons and streamers. Kiddy songs play from the speakers placed all over the backyard and travel to the front door. Dean wonders if the doorbell can be heard as Sam pushes the button for the third time. The mother answers the door and Dean's breath is taken. It isn't taken by her beauty, well there's that, but mainly because of familiarity. The mother's long, dark hair veils her face from Dean as she bends to greet Mary and to take the large wrapped gift from her small arms.

She stands up and looks at Sam and Dean with a small frown when she sees Dean before regaining her smile. "You look familiar, have I seen you somewhere before?" She asks.

Sam clears his throat and Dean wakes up from his trance. He shakes his head and clears his throat, "Um, no I don't think so. Maybe you saw me during pick up time."

"Oh," the lady says, sounding a little bit disappointed. "Well, I'm Lisa, thank you so much for coming for little Jean's birthday party. Come in, there's food for the adults too."

The Winchesters file in, taking up the hallway with their large builds. Mary is already lost among the crowd of children out in the backyard. Lisa shows them to the large living room and tells them to make themselves at home. She offers to get them some beer and goes off.

Sam looks at Dean, "Did you know that she lives here?"

Dean shakes his head. "No, no I don't. I didn't of her and Ben since that night."

"She hasn't aged one bit, has she?" Sam says in a low voice.

Dean's jaw hardens, "Shut your trap, Sammy."

Sam obeys and Lisa returns with two bottles of beer for them. A tall boy with an expressionless face trails behind her. He leans against the wall and sticks his hands in his jean's pockets. He wears clothing similar to Sam and Dean's, layers of t-shirts and plaid with faded boot cut jeans. He cocks his head when he sees the Winchesters, also trying to remember why they look familiar. Dean couldn't help but stare at the boy so grown up and different. Could it be?

"Here," Lisa hands them the cold beers. "Uh, this is my son, Ben," she introduces before looking at Ben. "Ben, please take care of our guests. I have to look after your sister's party." With that she disappears again.

Ben awkwardly asks, "Uh do you guys want any food?"

Both Sam and Dean shake their heads, saying that they're good. Ben nods his head and sits down in the seat opposite them. He makes no effort to talk to the two men or even the other parents sitting there. He just fishes out his phone and taps on it screen.

Sam and Dean look at each other, feeling very out of place. They never really fit into parties very well. They see the other parents talking and gossiping among each other. Most of them are mothers, and the few men are grouped together laughing away at something unknown. One of the men sees them and excuses himself from the group to greet them.

"Hi, I'm Fred. Nice to meet you," he says, holding his hand out for Dean then Sam. He sees Ben typing on his phone. "I see you've met my son."

Ben looks up and says sternly, "You're not my Dad." He looks back at his phone and adds, "I don't have a dad."

Fred pulls a face, "Well, stepson. I married Lisa a few years back then we had our little daughter, Jean. Can you believe she's already 5? Children grow up so fast."

Sam and Dean nod in agreement, they themselves can still remember when Mary could barely walk or talk, now she's running all over the place and chattering away non-stop. "Yeah they grow up so fast," Dean says.

Fred looks at Ben and asks, "Benjamin, please put down your phone." He looks at Sam and Dean and shakes his head sadly before returning to his group of friends.

"You don't like Fred very much, do you?" Dean asks Ben. "Or are you like this all the time?"

Ben looks at Dean with a glare so fierce, Dean gets a little startled. "Fred is annoying," he replies. He studies Dean a little while longer before saying, "I know who you are."

"What?" Dean asks, shocked. Sam holds his breath as well.

"You were that man who hit us years ago," Ben says. "I remember now. You told me to take care of my mom and then you took off. It was so long ago."

"Ah, yes," Dean replies. He hears Sam breathe a sigh a relief beside him and both men relax, knowing that Cas's powers have not failed yet. "I'm so sorry about that. I didn't think you'd remember. I remember you were a lot… shorter back then." Dean falters when Ben looks at him with an odd expression. He stutters, "I mean, you- you've grown."

Sam stifles a chuckle and Dean jabs him with his elbow.

"So, how's your mother?" Dean asks.

"She's okay," Ben shrugs. "I mean, she's got Fred and everything. I just pretend to like him in front of her."

"Why do you hate him so much?" Sam inquires.

"I don't know," Ben shrugs again. "It just doesn't feel right. We don't mix. He can't stand my clothes or my music and I can't stand his. I mean, who can hate Freddie Mercury? He's like the best singer in the world and the Queen is legendary. After ACDC, of course, I love ACDC. They're my favourite band. "

Dean smiles, "Really? You like the classic rock pieces, huh? Not for nothing, but I listen to that growing up and riding in the car with my Dad."

Ben lets a half smile. "It's cool," he shrugs.

"Oh, hey. How old are you?" Dean asks. Sam sits back and lets Dean reunite with the glimpse of a normal life he once had.

"I'm nineteen," Ben replies. "I'm leaving for Uni soon. I'm sure gonna miss Mum and Jean, though. Don't get me wrong, I don't really like Fred but Jean's my little sister too, even though we have different fathers. I love the little girl. She's the only thing I like coming from Fred."

Sam joins the other men who are clearly nearing their alcohol limits, leaving Dean to talk to Ben alone. Ben may not have a single happy memory of Dean but Dean remembers him and Sam can see the old wound opening up inside him.

"I don't think Fred deserves to be my Dad," Ben speaks up after a comfortable silence feel between them. "I always wanted a father who would be a hero, strong and brave. I wanted a Dad who I can rely on. I always thought Dads were supposed to teach you things and show you cool stuff. Fred just goes to his 9 to 5 office job and comes back for dinner and watches the news. He lets me do whatever I want because he wants to gain Mom's favour and make me like him. Sometimes I abuse it for fun. The only thing he ever goes against is my music taste."

"You shouldn't do that," Dean frowns. "You may not like the man, but face it, he's gonna be here for some time. You might as well get used to it. And don't get mixed up in bad things, you hear me? You're gonna go down a road that you can't turn back on."

"Geez," Ben scoffs. "You're not my dad."

"I mean it, boy," Dean says sternly.

Ben sees Dean's scary expression and gulps, nodding his head. It takes him a while before he could open his mouth again. "I remember Mom had another boyfriend once," Ben says. "I don't remember his name or even his face but I liked him and I remember that I didn't want him to go but he did anyway. We were family, him, Mom, and I. The best thing I have ever had for a father." Ben chuckles, "I remember he came to my eighth birthday and taught me to kick some bullies' asses. He was cool and I could've called him Dad if he stayed longer."

Dean looks at him stunned, "Does your mother talk about him?"

"Well she has Fred so obviously not. But even before that, she told me that she didn't have a boyfriend and that I was just imagining things. I think she just wants to forget him," Ben replies. "I never raised the topic since that time she screamed at me to stop asking her about him."

The party has ended, Mary comes to Dean with a paper bag of goodies in hand and her hair all messed up from all the playing and running around. She waves goodbye to all the other children leaving hand in hand with their parents.

"So did you have fun?" Dean asks her.

Mary nods, "I had so much fun. I like parties and I like Jean. Can I stay a while longer?"

Dean laughs, "I think Jean has a lot to clean up after the party and I don't think you'll be much help."

"Aww," Mary whines. "I can help her clean up. Please let me stay longer," she begs.

"I'd love to, honey," Dean replies. "But Uncle Sam is feeling a bit tired from all this fun, he wants to go home," Dean fibs. "Right, Sammy?" He looks at Sam, begging him to go with the flow. Although it's nice to see Lisa and Ben again, the longer he stays, the harder it is to say goodbye.

Sam understands and nods his head, "Yeah, I'm so tired. I could sleep for a hundred years."

Mary resigns and says, "Okay."

"Good girl," Dean kisses her on the cheek. He gets up and says, "Let's go."

Lisa, Fred and Ben see them to the door. "Thanks for coming over," Lisa says again. "I'm so sorry I could not talk to you today, it's been pretty hectic."

"It's fine, really," Sam dismisses. "Um, have a good day," he shakes Fred's hand and Dean follows suit.

When they get into the car and Mary dozes off from exhaustion, Dean mutters to Sam, "When we get back to the motel, pack your bags. We're leaving town."

Sam doesn't resist, seeing the hard line on Dean's jaw. He remembers that last time Dean looked like that. He told Sam to never talk about Lisa and Ben ever again. He hadn't but the past does have its way of catching up.

**Yeah, there is literally no Sam or Mary in this. I just wanted a reunion for Dean, even though it probably hurts him like hell. I don't know... As a writer, I can tell you that I thoroughly enjoy writing the deaths of a character. Mainly because there is simply nothing else you can do once they're dead and you wouldn't have things like this popping up as you go along. Also, most of the main characters are a little piece of me, and I like having Dean's (or any other of my favourite characters) love and attention. Who wouldn't? Maybe it's also nice to make up somebody crying over losing you, because you'll never know if anybody would cry for you in real life because you're dead, to be put frankly. Enough of the emo stuff, I hope you have a nice day and you keep those suggestions coming. :) JC**


	11. Mary's Family

**Hello! :) I have a day off school so I did this. This is inspired by TatteredAngel's amazing idea of Mary doing some crafts in school and Dean keeps it like the sentimental person he truly is. This is half about the craft and half about Mother's Day and an explanation to Mary why she doesn't have a mother.**

Sam opens the door and Mary walks into the motel room where Dean is sitting with papers strewn all around him. He looks up and smiles at her. She puts down her small bag on the floor beside all their duffel bags before going up to him with a piece of paper rolled up in her hand.

"Hey, how was your day?" Dean asks her, reaching out to hug her. "I'm so sorry Daddy couldn't pick you up today, I had a lot of work to do," he apologises.

"It's okay, Daddy," Mary replies. "Uncle Sam took me to McDonald's after school for lunch!"

"Did he now?" Dean says. He points to the paper still clutched in her hand, "What's that?"

She let's go of his neck and unrolls it explaining excitedly, "Today Ms Lilly made us do pictures of our families." She shows him the colourful scrawling on the paper, she points to the stick man on the left wearing a plaid shirt and has unusually long limbs, saying, "That's Uncle Sammy." She points to the small on in the middle wearing golden pigtails, "That's me." And her chubby finger goes to the last stick figure on the right wearing a green jacket, "And that's Daddy."

"Wow," Dean says, holding the paper closer to him. "You're an amazing artist, you know that? I love it so much. Can I keep it?" Mary nods and he thanks her. He holds up the drawing again, noticing the black Impala in the background and Mary's attention to detail. She gave Sam his long, brown hair and his own green eyes. They are all standing happily on a grassy field and Dean chuckles. He holds up the drawing for Sam to see and says, "She even got your proportions right."

Sam rolls his eyes before training them on the laptop screen. Their job here is quite tough and it's been bothering them for a while. Aside from trying to solve the case, Dean has also been looking around for rooms for rent because the motel fees are stacking and this suburban area has few places for them to gamble or play pool for money. They let Mary sign up for school here because they knew that the job will take a while and she was getting lonely again.

Mary leaves Dean and walks around taking off her clothes and settling down. She chatters away as she goes about doing her chores and pulling out her homework from her bag. "Today, Ms Lilly told us Mother's Day is coming soon. She said that we'll be doing cards to give our Mummies tomorrow. I told her I don't have a mother. All my friends have mothers. Ms Lilly said that everyone has a mother. Without a mother, there wouldn't be us. Daddy?" Mary asks, sitting on the table and seeing that Dean isn't looking at her. "Why don't I have a Mummy? Where's my Mummy?"

Dean has been listening to her and he stopped reading his files the moment she said that she told her teacher she doesn't have a mother. He just didn't look at her to avoid showing the fear in his eyes. He remembers the note left tucked in her sheets when she came to him that night. Her mother had said to not let her know about her. What is he going to do now?

"Daddy?" Mary asks again.

Dean can't help but look at her. For the first time ever, he feels sadness when he meets her blue gaze. He gets off the bed he was on and walks over to her. Sam is watching silently from behind the laptop screen all the while, knowing that he has no place in the conversation. Dean squats down beside her chair so that he is slightly lower than eye level to her. "Mary, your mother is in a better place now," Dean says, deciding to tell the half-truth. "She was dying when she gave you to me and I couldn't save her," he says.

Mary looks at him sadly, not saying anything and also not fully comprehending that she would never see her mother on Earth. A tear betrays her emotions and rolls down her cheek. Dean sees and wraps her in his arms, resting her head on his shoulder.

"It's okay, honey, don't cry," Dean soothes, but Mary only breaks into noisy sobs. "Shh, it's okay," he says. "Even if your mummy isn't around, you have me and Uncle Sammy to take care of you and love you and you'll never be lonely. The two of us will be here for you all the time, I promise. I lost my Mom when I was about your age and I missed her so much and I still do. Who knows? Maybe your Mummy and my Mummy are sitting happily and talking to each other about us, wherever they are."

Mary pulls away from the hug, asking, "Will I see my Mummy in heaven?"

Dean nods his head, "Of course. And she will be waiting there with open arms for you." It calms Mary down to know that she will see her Mummy one distant day when the skies open up to accept her. Dean knows better, of course, but what's the point of telling the painful truth to a little girl who still thinks the world is only sunshine and butterflies. No way would he make her grow up too fast the way he and Sam did. He would lie to her for as long as necessary. He will never willingly tell her that her mother, like his mother, is burning away in hell, torturing and being tortured.

Mary is still sobbing although not quite so noisily now. Her homework is still placed out nicely in front of her, a sign how many things can happen in a minute. A life can be turned upside down in just a split second. Dean pulls her back into his embrace and lifts her off the chair. She wraps her legs as best as she can around his waist and tightens her arms around his neck. The five minutes of sad news drained her more than the half day of school did and she cried herself to sleep on Dean's shoulder.

"Sam, do you mind?" Dean asks, gesturing to Sam's bed not covered in papers like his.

Sam nods and says, "Yeah, go ahead."

Dean sets her down and tucks her in. He sighs sadly, watching Mary sleep. Her face is no longer peaceful and happy in her sleep. Her lips are set in a slight frown and tear streaks are drying up on her cheeks. "I never meant to tell her," Dean says. "Which child needs to be told that her mother is dead?"

"You can't hide something like that forever," Sam replies in an attempt to make his brother feel better. "Sooner or later, she'll find out the truth about her mother. The truth will always come out no matter how hard you keep it down. It's not your fault, Dean."

**Was it too sad? I'm sorry. I knew I had to write it because Mary has to find out one way or another. Maybe I'll remove the Maximum Fluff warning in the description because it can get quite sad and not at all fluffy sometimes. **


	12. Uncle Cas

**Hiya! This chapter here will include a new character (Yay!) and if you read the chapter titles, you'd probably guessed who it is. Anyway, enjoy this little thing. It doesn't have much substance to it but I wrote it anyway.**

Mary is sitting at the backseat singing along with Dean to a song playing on the car stereo, much to Sam's annoyance. Air Supply is Mary's favourite band after the Beatles. Dean is rather proud of her music choices and claims that it is his upbringing that is to be credited. Sam always says that she's going to be made fun of for listening to songs forty years old.

"Mary, here comes the big part," Dean says before singing on the top of his lungs "I CAN'T LIIIIIIIVE IF LVING IS WITHOUT YOU."

If Sam could cover his ears without looking rude and upsetting Mary, he would. Unfortunately, Mary takes her singing very personally. Sam sticks his head out of the window to escape the dying cat sounds inside the car. Inside the car the music is so loud, Sam didn't hear Mary's scream interrupt their singing. Sam only brings his head back in when Dean turns off the music and yells at someone at the back. The words he used aren't the ones he normally uses in front of Mary, either.

Sam snaps his head back to see Mary cowering against the far side of the car and looking wearily at the man that had appeared out of nowhere. Sam heaves a sigh, recognising the dark, tousled hair and brilliant blue eyes. Mary is close to wailing and Sam reaches back to fish her out from the back.

"Cas, god dammit," Dean exclaims. "You could've called or something and not scare the poor girl."

Only then does Castiel notice the little girl trying her best to shrink into Sam's jacket. Their eyes meet and Mary hides her face in his plaid shirt. Sam strokes her golden head and Dean swears to himself that if Mary cries, he's throwing the angel out of the car.

"I'm sorry," Cas says. "I didn't mean to interrupt but I need your help."

Dean sighs, "Alright, we're stopping at a motel and we can talk there."

"It's urgent, Dean," Cas argues. "If anything, we have to get to Illinois now. I can explain it on the ride there."

"Illi-Illinois, really? But no, I'm not going to talk about it in the car," Dean firmly says.

"Why not?"

"Because, I don't like talking about my job," Dean glances at Mary peeping out at Cas from Sam's coat. "In front of the girl. She thinks we sell goods."

Cas cocks his head and sassily replies, "She already saw me appear out of thin air, I think she no longer thinks you are businessmen."

Dean hardens his jaw, knowing that that was the truth. He glances at Mary again and sighs, "Mary say hello to Uncle Cas. Cas, that's my little girl, Mary Winchester. It's okay, Mary, he's harmless. Mostly."

Mary peeps out from Sam's arms and gives him a shy wave. Cas looks at her and nods awkwardly, not really sure what to do to the little girl. Mary comes out of her shell and asks Dean, "Daddy why does he pop out of nowhere? Is he a magician?"

"Not really, honey. He's an angel," Dean explains. "Not like in the storybooks though, no wings or halos."

"An angel?" Mary exclaims, now looking at Castiel with wonder. "Are you from heaven? Have you seen my Mummy in heaven?"

"Mary, your mother is -," Cas starts but gets interrupted by Dean and Sam both coughing at the same time. Cas looks at Dean who shoots him a dangerous look. "She's fine, Mary," Cas lies, doing his best to smile. It is nowhere near convincing but Mary takes the bait. She no longer is scared of the angel and crawls slowly out from Sam's jacket and towards Cas, asking about her mother.

"Now, Mary, your Uncles and I need to talk," Dean says, not wanting Mary to think any more about her mother. "Please sit down, Mary."

"Can I sit with Uncle Cas?"Mary asks.

"You can ask him," Dean smiles.

"Uncle Cas, can I sit with you?" Mary asks. "Please," she adds before anybody tells her off for her manners.

Cas looks at Sam, surprised and unsure of what to do. Sam nods and Cas says, "Of course." Mary climbs over the seat and sits down on Cas's lap. He holds her by the waist for security's sake and just stares at Sam who is stifling giggles. He looks down at Mary whose eyes, he sees, are bright blue. "Hi," he says awkwardly.

"Now, what is it that's going on in Illinois?" Dean asks and it takes Cas a minute to remember how to speak.

**Just for the record, I didn't plan it but I guess Mary's mother is going to be quite the recurring subject. Oh, well. :)**


	13. All Things Snap

**Hello, I'm feeling a little bit lazy and don't feel like talking much. **

The Winchesters are sitting in the car, bracing themselves for the battle they would be facing. Cas had already gone ahead to fend off the group of demons who have started to wreak havoc in the area. They apparently are planning something and they need to put a stop to it. It almost feels like the apocalypse again. They hear the sounds of struggle from one of the houses they parked in front of. That is their cue.

"Mary, I need you to stay in the car," Dean orders. "No matter what you hear, what you see, or who comes to the car. Keep the doors locked and stay quiet, you hear me?"

Mary nods, too scared to utter a word. Against Dean's will, Mary is slowly being dragged into the reality of this dark, dangerous world. Even as he denies it, he knows that soon he would have to teach her to fight and shoot a gun. Maybe he has to teach her how to keep safe, but no way in hell would he ever let her go to the frontline. That is the one promise he holds to himself.

They hear the scuffle of fighting and take it as their cue. They let themselves out of the car and Dean slides his knife into his belt beside his gun, lugging the duffel over one shoulder. They leave Mary in the car with mere centimetres of air ventilation. If there was a better option, Dean would've taken it but there isn't.

"Mary, lock the doors and don't open it for anybody," Dean instructs one last time before walking towards the houses at the end of the road. "Sam, I'm going in," Dean continues. "Stay in sight of the car."

"But Dean –," Sam tries to argue but is cut off.

"I need you to take care of Mary," Dean explains roughly. "Guard the car. Go, now." He doesn't wait for Sam to respond before charging straight into the thick of the fight.

Demons are all over the place, it looks as if the entire neighbourhood decided to meet up in this one house. Then again, they did. The demons do not notice Dean coming in as they are all too busy dealing with the angel who is smiting two demons for every one that comes within reach. The source of all the demons are anybody's guess, they seem to just appear out of nowhere. Dean sneaks a can of salt out of is duffel and line the entrance with a thick line of salt. He skirts the perimeters, leaving a trail of salt behind him. It's startling how none of the demons even realise he's here. Their duty tonight is to get rid of the demons and keep one or two alive for questioning.

Emptying the last of the salt, Dean takes a readying breath before yelling, "Hey, dickheads!"

All the surviving demons in the room turn to him, visibly snarling in a way more suitable for a vampire than a demon. In less than three seconds, they pounce on him only to be stopped some invisible barrier holding them back. They look around for the devil's trap and find it above their heads, taking up the entire ceiling. He can't help the smirk that crosses his face when he thinks about their ignorance.

"Now, since we're all gathered here tonight, we might as well get to business," Dean announces. "So," he claps his hands, "who wants to go first and tell me what you're after?"

He doesn't get his question answered as the front door bursts open and Mary stands there looking for Dean. She spots him across the room and she makes her way over to him before he could even tell her to stop. Dean watches painfully helpless as Mary steps into the far end of the circle.

"Mary, I need you to step back," Dean orders firmly.

Mary is scared, Dean sees that, but his need to get her out of danger overrides all sympathy and the only thing he feels now is anger and frustration. Mary is lost, bewildered and desperate to get to her father. She stands frozen at the edge of the trap, unsure of what to do.

"Mary, get OUT OF THE CIRCLE," Dean yells.

The demons turn their attention to the defenceless little girl and Dean stabs the one closest to him before she could even think of touching Mary. The fight starts and Cas tries his best to fend the demons of Mary as Dean slowly makes his way over, killing every demon in his way. Only then does Sam appear at the door out of breath and with worry etched all over his face. He sees Mary cowering behind Cas who has positioned the two of them into a corner to keep Mary safe. He sees Dean with a vicious glare in his eyes as he fends off more demons. The demons are still trapped in but they are using physical weapons to make up for their crippled powers.

"Cas, blow this place up," Dean yells.

The angel obeys, telling them to close their eyes before emitting blinding white light all around the room. From outside, the house windows spill with Cas's pure white power. When it fades, Sam and Dean blink out the dark spots from their retinas. Dean recovers first and runs over to where Mary is curled up and crying. He checks for any injuries and is relieved that she has only escaped with small scratches. He collects her up in his arms and whisper soft words to her.

"Shh, it's okay. They're gone, it's okay," Dean says repeatedly, punctuating with kisses on her head. "They can't hurt you anymore, it's safe now. It's okay, honey, it's okay."

"Dean, I'm sorry," Sam says.

Dean looks up at him with accusing eyes. He hands Mary over to Castiel to make sure that she's a hundred percent alright. "Where were you? I told you to keep an eye on the car!" Dean is livid and Sam takes a step backwards in fear. "How in the hell did she get out of the car?"

Sam holds his hands up in a gesture of defence but Dean doesn't let up. Sam has seen him get angry over people harming his family, but he has never been on the receiving end of it. "There were two demons out there, they were attacking the car. I tried to get rid of them and she got out of the car and ran," Sam explains. "By the time I was done with the demons, I lost her."

"You lost her? You lost her! That's great Sammy," Dean says sarcastically. "She could've been killed!"

Sam hangs his head low, knowing nothing will calm his brother down when he's in a rage. Then again, it was also partially his fault. He should've kept a closer eye on Mary and kept a better guard. If only he were as good as Dean.

"Dean," Cas says softly. "It's not his fault, the girl is scared and the first thing that comes to any child's mind is to look for their parents," he explains.

Dean's shoulders relax just the smallest bit and he says, "C'mon, let's go."

**Special thanks to Priya723 for the idea of Dean getting angry at Sam for getting Mary into harm's way. I apologise if it's not satisfying as I find it doesn't quite fit the bill but I really need to post something and get the guilt out of the way. Also the latest episode of Supernatural made me sad and moody. **


	14. Heart to Heart

**Hey, how are you guys doing? This is a continuation of the last chapter, where Dean lost his cool and snapped at Sam. **

Dean leans over the banister outside the motel room, taking a swig of beer and breathing in the cold night air. He watches the drops of condensation as they make their way down the bottle and up his arm. The crickets and frogs are singing their night time tune even though dawn is drawing near. The sting of the coldness numbs his nose as he takes in deep breaths to calm himself down from what had happened during the night.

Mary is inside, sleeping under the cosy covers and Sam is typing away on his laptop. The two brothers haven't talked since Dean yelled at Sam for letting Mary leave his sight. Dean's anger has blown over but the tense air between them still lingers. Dean escaped the room as he couldn't stand the silence anymore. Cas has gone, disappearing with a blink of an eye and a soft rush of wings flapping.

The door squeals open behind him but Dean doesn't turn back to see who's come for he knows exactly who it is. Sam stands a distance away from Dean, clearing his throat. It takes a few second for him to form the words in his mouth and Dean has nothing better to do than wait.

"Look, Dean, I'm sorry," Sam starts. "I know I should've kept a closer watch on Mary, I-."

"Yeah, I know," Dean cuts in. "It's not your fault. I don't blame you. I just got a bit worked up. I'm sorry I yelled at you," Dean says. "I didn't mean to. It's just that Mary means a lot to me. That night when she was left on my doorstep, the note said that her name is to be Mary. I think it's a sign, like a chance to somebody and not fail again. I mean, she's so much like Mom. It feels like I'm returning a favour, like I'm finally doing something for Mom. I mean, her birthday's is on the 6th of November," Dean exclaims. "I don't know what's my take on reincarnation but this sure as hell feels like one."

Sam nods, "I understand how you feel and I don't blame you. Any loving father would lose their cool if their daughter is in danger." He looks at Dean, who takes another swig. "You make a great Dad," Sam comments.

Dean huffs at the comment, "Yeah. I never thought that I'd be a Dad for real. Well, she's not my flesh and blood but its feels like we might as well be. You never know what will happen in life, eh?" He raises his bottle in a toast before pouring more of the fizzy concoction into his mouth.

"Do you think you'll ever tell her one day?" Sam asks. "About her mother."

Dean sighs, ducking his head down until his chin touches his chest. "I don't know, man. I guess we have to tell her one day. Right about the time we tell her that she's actually adopted," Dean replies. He shakes his head, saying, "I don't ever want to do that. I don't ever want to remember that she's not actually mine. Even if one day, her no good son of a bitch father comes along and picks her up, I'm never giving her away. Nobody is taking her away. She's family. Me, Mary and you: the great Winchester family, kicking asses dead or alive."

Sam smiles at the show of passion Dean has for Mary. "So are we going to teach her the tricks of the trade? There's no way out of this business once you've stepped into it, might as well get her prepared," Sam reasons.

The light in Dean's eyes grows dimmer at the mention of having dragging yet another innocent life down into the gutters. "When she's older, no way will I make her hold a gun at this age," Dean decides. He remembers how he was only her age when his father first let him shoot a gun. No way would he let her go through that. Maybe when she's ten or so, he would teach her about weapons. "But I guess we can start on the self-defence and safety rules and precautions. Keep her childhood safe for as long as possible."

Sam agrees. Both he and Dean knows nothing of a life apart from ghouls and demons and werewolves. Everyone should have memories of a good childhood. The one that they have to offer might not be the most suburban white bread life there is but with effort, Mary can still have parties, friends, and other little girl fun. All of a sudden, Dean is laughing manically to himself. Sam looks at his strangely, waiting for an explanation.

"Who am I kidding? There's no way she'll survive without a gun," Dean scoffs. "Even if she's young, we have to teach her. I hope I still have that pistol Dad gave to me."

Sam watches sadly as his brother pushes himself off the metal beam and walks into room. The sky is turning light blue and the frogs and crickets have stopped their night song. Their song is replaced by those of the birds, waking up to the new day. Maybe they can still give Mary some of her childhood. Teaching her how to use a gun does not mean the end of her childhood, they can still take her to parks and carnivals and fun fairs. One thing is for sure, Sam thinks to himself as he watches the sun rise, Mary has one thing that he and Dean didn't have growing up. She has a loving father who would put his life on the line for her, who would protect her from the worst of reality, and who most definitely would never leave her to her own devices for days at a time alone in a motel room. With Dean as a father, one would never have to worry about hunger or the cold. He is as good as any father gets and Sam is sure of it.

**Word of advice: don't listen to "The Famous Final Scene" by Bob Segers. Especially not on repeat. And ESPECIALLY not when you're thinking about the episode "Road Trip" where Dean was alone in the bunker after Kevin's cremation. Don't think about Kevin, either. Don't think about the lyrics. Just don't do it. Unless you want to reduce your heart to something less than what Dean might feel he has or if your heart is cold and shrivelled up. Then by all means. **


	15. Hunting Nights

**Hi, guys. I don't even know what I'm doing with this, I just wrote in my present state of insomnia. Enjoy.**

Sam is rounding up a few things and Dean sits next to Mary on the bed, giving her last instructions. "Okay, Mary you know the drill," he says, "No answering the door unless it's me or your uncle. Keep the gun safety lock on until you need to use it. If somebody comes through the door, shoot first and ask questions later."

Mary nods obediently. The brothers have been teaching her how to handle the small pistol. At first, she had thought it to be them playing with her but Dean's serious expression had not let up and thunder actually sounded when Dean squeezed the trigger. It scared her at first but when she saw his bull's eye at the dead centre of the wooden plank, she wanted to learn how to shoot as well. She wanted to be as good as her Daddy. It has been a few months since they started her training, now she no longer fears the loud bang when the gun is fired but is thrilled its loudness. Of course, Dean has a strict eye on her and makes sure she follows all the safety precautions and never lets her hold a gun unless she has to be left alone when they go out hunting. They are slowly introducing her to the supernatural world, telling her ghosts are real but nothing to be scared of so as not to scar her for life.

"Good, now we'll only be out for a while but we'll still be late," Dean states. "I want you in bed at ten, you hear me?"

"Yes, Daddy," Mary says.

Dean gives her a one armed squeeze and a kiss on the head before getting off the bed. The sun is going down and the ghoul they're up against would be coming out soon. Dean silently does a double check to make sure that everything is where they should be before closing the door behind him and leaving Mary alone. They have left Mary alone several occasions before but nothing will calm Dean's worry. At least she's not in the frontline with us, Dean would remind himself or Sam would assure him when he forgets. They drive off and Mary sits down inside the room, opening one of her many textbooks and reading it.

Mary would be going into elementary school soon but she can barely add or remember her multiplication tables. Sam is in charge of her education (Dean's request) and he sits her down whenever they have the time and teaches her patiently the wonders of the educated world. Mary pulls out a pencil and does the few sums Sam set as her homework.

Ten o'clock comes and Mary tucks herself to bed, praying for the safety of her Dad and uncle. She turns off the lights by climbing on top of a chair and curls up in the bed she shares with her Dad. Feeling bored, she lifts her lips and tenderly pokes her front tooth with her index finger. The tooth is coming off its hinges and she finds the way it swings about rather annoying, especially when she's eating. Dad had said that it would drop off soon and end her misery but she is left to wonder what will happen when she drops all her teeth. Maybe she should eat less candy and brush her teeth like how the dentist tells her to.

It's 4 am when Sam and Dean tumble into the room. They lower their voices when they enter the room and notice Mary sleeping in the bed. She has her gun placed on the bedside table, just within reach and Dean takes it away. He sheds two layers of clothing and his jeans, leaving on only his t0shirt and boxers, he climbs carefully into bed and kisses Mary goodnight before sleeping.


	16. Carnival Fun

**How are you doing, people? It's 6 am when I wrote and uploaded this. I haven't slept all night and the sun will be coming up soon. I hope you like this story! I'm kinda lazy to mention the title. **

Mary's hand is held tightly by Dean's as they walk under the arch leading to the carnival. It is Mary's first fun fair and she is itching to go between one brightly lit stall to another. The place is crowded and lively, with music playing and men shouting to get people to their stall. Colourful clowns of different shapes and sizes, tall and short, fat and skinny, walk around distributing balloons to the little children.

"So where do you want to go first?" Sam asks Mary.

She looks around and points to the carousel playing music box jingles. The two men walk her over to the carousel and pay the fee. Dean finally releases her hand so she can go find a painted horse that she likes and he hoists her up before returning to the other side of the fence. The music starts once all the other children are seated. Mary squeals with delight as her horse jerks forward and starts going around in circles. Every time she makes a full circle, she waves at her Dad and uncle who smile and wave back until she is out of sight.

All too soon, the ride stops and Mary reluctantly gets off with help from Sam. They travel from stall to stall, fishing duck for prizes and tossing rings. Mary insists on tossing the rings herself and won a small plastic keychain. She is proud of that keychain and makes Dean hook it onto her bag immediately. Then, comes the shooting range. Adults line up in a row and take a shot with rifles at the targets set up a few feet away. Most of them do okay, always getting it in the wide outer side of the target. The goal is to get at least three bull's eyes and they get five shots. The prize for reaching the goal is a large teddy bear easily the same height as Mary.

"Hey, Mary," Dean says, smirking at the easy challenge. "How would you like a giant teddy bear for your birthday present?"

Mary nods enthusiastically and Dean steps forwards to accept his five bullets and rifle for a mere five dollars. He loads the rifle and readies it on his shoulder, taking aim and firing. The bullet found its way to the unmarked centre of the target. He loads up another round and fires, shooting a hole into the red centre once again. He gets the bull's eye again and again and again. All five shots are fired and all of them find their place in the middle of the wooden board. Onlookers gawk at his accuracy and Sam and Mary look on proudly. Dean gives a smug smile to the stall hand who grudgingly hands over the large, caramel furred teddy bear.

Dean walks over to his family and Mary claps her hands excitedly. Dean gives her the teddy bear and says, "Happy Birthday, honey."

Mary smiles at him with her two missing teeth leaving holes in her mouth. "Thank you, Daddy," she says.

"Come on now," Dean beckons, holding his hand for Mary to hold. "I think Uncle Sam owes us ice cream."

Sam shakes his head, "I didn't sign up for that bet. I would never doubt your aim."

"Keep up your end of a bet, Sammy," Dean calls over his shoulder as he and Mary walks off, not waiting for Sam to follow them.


	17. Time Flies By (Filler)

**Hello! I think you all will find this chapter quite disappointing. It is a small filler with a rather big age jump because I really have no idea what happens between the ages of six to ten. The next chapter, Mary will be a teenager and I will definitely spend more time dwelling in her teenage years because those are definitely the most exciting part of life. :)**

"Dad, can I have your fries?"

"No," Dean exclaims. "Take your uncle's." He gives a crooked smile before pushing his plate across the table to Mary.

Mary grins and accepts the fries. Dean catches his brother's eye and Sam shakes his head. Mary is now eleven and she's eating more and more every day. Concerned about Mary's appetite as she used to only eat half of her serving, Dean and Sam spent some time reading up on growing girls. They went online and searched for advice for single dads with daughters and found many helpful tips from training bras to periods. Neither of them felt comfortable when they read about those things for the first time.

As a hunter, Mary is a quick learner and a very crafty fighter. She has learnt almost everything Sam and Dean have to offer to her about self-defence. Her accuracy with a gun is puts many seasoned men to shame. Her knowledge of the supernatural is extensive thanks to the journal John Winchester had left to Dean. Dean doesn't really like to take her hunting with them but she tags along for the simpler salt and burn cases. She is usually put in charge of watching the car. As she grow older, she grows more and more interested in hunting monsters and Dean fears that one day she'll put herself in danger.

In school, Mary is doing a lot better than Sam had done in school. Scoring the top scores in everything everywhere she goes. Many of the teachers she has gone through are amazed by her results even though she shifts around so much. She keeps modest about it, knowing that in the hunter's world, straight A's doesn't get you anywhere. She spends her free time reading her textbooks and studying in the library because she likes to learn new things and is doing things more advance than students her age. Physics and maths are her two favourite subjects and she is constantly solving problems and conducting experiments on the laws of Physics. Dean sometimes jokes that Sam might one day lose his position as family nerd to her.

It seems to Dean like only yesterday she learnt how to walk and utter her first word. In a blink of an eye, the little toddler with pudgy fingers and chubby cheeks has turned into a young girl with strong limbs and graceful agility. Oh, how the years have gone by. Sam, too, is in denial that he has turned 40 and shakes his head every time he thinks about it.

Although their life is tough and not the most luxurious, Mary still leads a rather protected life courtesy of her father and uncle. She is still unaware of the pubs and bars where they earn the money to keep them going. She does not know of the poker games and pool that keeps them well fed. Never for one moment has she, for all her intelligence, ever questioned the income of her family. Dean takes extra care to keep her far from the dodgy places. Those places are places where no underage child should be seen at. It can prove more dangerous than a nest of vampires.

Dean stares at Mary while she eats, thinking about how fast time has flew by and how the next few years will fly by at a similar speed. Before he knows it, she'll be a fine young lady. A familiar choking sensation grips his throat and an itch behind his eye threatens a tear.

Mary notices Dean watching her and stops mid chew, asking, "What's wrong, Daddy?"

Dean shakes his head and smiles, "Nothing, honey." He looks up at Sam and Sam knows what he's think, feeling the same way too.

**I also realise that this story is starting to lose its fluffiness. I really apologise for that. I did plan for this to be a series of one shots but they seem to join forces and become a full story. So this is a fair warning that it will not be full fluff from this point on and might (might) be slightly sadder in some points. **


	18. Mary's True Dad

**I am so so sorry for not uploading for ages. I have been both physically and mentally stressed this start of the year. Now that I've got most of my things sorted out and my studies planned out (not really, I'm just pushing myself until I drop) I can finally give you this chapter! Although it's not as nice as I hoped it would be. I hope it's not too much of a let down.**

Dean clicks his gun. "Don't you dare touch my baby girl," he growls at the man.

The man laughs maniacally. "She's not even yours! She's mine! She's my flesh and blood, not yours," he yells. His voice echoes around the empty room.

Mary is bound up and gagged but her eyes are wide with fear. The strange man turns to face her, tender admiration and manic desperation which scares her even more. The man had come up to her and stared at her with the worst smile Mary has ever seen. When she didn't want to go with him, he threw a fit and grabbed Mary and gagged her before she could scream for her Dad and Uncle Sam. He took her to this empty warehouse and kept caressing her cheek much to her man kept on mumbling about how beautiful she's become, how much she has grown and things like that.

"Just like your mother," he had said.

Mary is scared and confused and this man is yelling at her Dad about how he's not actually her father. Dean had come in to rescue her as usual but it angered the strange man whose identity is still not known to Mary. Seeking comfort, Mary looks to Dean but Dean keeps his eye on the man. The man swings a dagger around wildly and Dean is doing his best to keep the man as far away from Mary as possible.

"Go on," the man challenges Dean. "Tell her how she came to be in your care."

Mary wants Dean to clench his jaw and continue staring at the man in strong denial that she is not adopted but he doesn't. He finally looks at Mary and his crumbling heart could be seen through his eyes. His grip on his gun slacks slightly and the strange man grins toothily. The man laughs, Dean puts his gun down and the tears escape Mary's tear ducts.

"Tell her," the man prods. "She deserves to know the truth."

Dean sighs before starting, "I found you lying at my door with a note attached. It didn't say anything except your and birthday. The next thing I heard was your mother screaming as hellhounds tore her apart."

"Hellhounds?" The man asks. "What are you teaching the poor girl? Children aren't meant to be finding out about monsters and demons. They deserve a good life with a home and school and friends. All of this I can provide for her," the man declares. Pacing back and forth, he admits, "I left your mother when she told me she was pregnant but I went back. I went back to look for her. I couldn't find her and someone had told me that she had died. I was heartbroken but when I found out the baby is alive and well, I wanted to look for you straight away. I want to give you the life you deserve. You just have to come with me, Mary. Just come with me and Daddy will give you everything you wan't."

Fury boils up inside Dean and he barks, "Bullshit!" Somewhere deep down, he feels the guilt of swearing in front of Mary but right now is not the time for censorship. Mary's eyes widen further upon hearing Dean's harsh word and guilt gnaws at Dean. Both Mary and the man are looking at him, waiting for an explanation for his protest.

"You may be her biological father but you were never her Dad. You didn't raise her with your own hands. You didn't suffer sleepless nights when she cries for milk every other hour. You didn't change her diapers or clean up after she soiled herself. You never felt the utter torture of having to quieten her when she starts screaming her head off in public. You never even have to question why you are still doing this. Well, I did. I took care of her when you didn't. I fed her, I washed her, and I wiped the drool off her face when she was teething. It's crazy, the things you have to do for a baby. And that's just the first two years! What about when she lost her first tooth? You weren't there when she had the measles and had to stay in bed for weeks. You weren't there on her first day of school. Raising a child has its up and down. Maybe more downs than up, even. But one thing is that, whenever you feel like you're going to give up and break down, just one smile can turn it all around and make everything worth it. Have you ever felt that? Have you been through what I've gone through? So don't you dare refer to yourself as her Dad," Dean snarls. "You win crappiest father in the world if there was an award for that. If you don't believe me, ask her," he nods to Mary.

The man glances at Mary and Dean, spinning on the spot. Sliding his jaw to one side, he says, "Fine, we'll let her choose. We'll see if she would prefer her real father or a ruffian like you." He flicks his knife and frees Mary of her gags and bonds.

As soon as Mary is free from the ropes around her legs and hands, she runs straight for Dean and clutches on to his waist as hard as she can. Dean clicks his gun to its safety lock before wrapping her in his arms and checking to see if she is hurt. The man screams in frustration and anger. Without warning, he charges at the pair of them with his blade wielded. At the last second, Dean sees him and pushes Mary behind him. With his gun disabled, he flips it and swings the handle down onto the charging man, knocking him out cold.

"Daddy?" Mary squeaks. "I want to go home."

Dean looks away from the motionless man and nods, "Yeah. Let's get you home." Taking Mary's hand is his, Dean says, "Y'know your uncles have been searching for you everywhere. I bet there'll be a treat for you when we get back."

**As always, please leave a suggestion on what I can write next. I would appreciate the ideas.**

**p.s. I have just recently watched The Avengers and I think that "What Happened in Budapest" should be a legitimate movie. If those rumours of having a Black Widow movie do come true, they should cover that (and show a bit more of Hawkeye and Black Widow together than is necessary for the story)**


End file.
